A Study on the Development of an Ethical Decision-Making Model for Child-Rearing Support

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K13121
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 09030:Childhood and nursery/pre-school education-related
• Research Institution: Jumonji University
• Principal Investigator: Kamezaki Misako 十文字学園女子大学, 人間生活学部, 准教授 (60459592)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 子育て支援 / 葛藤 / 倫理的意思決定 / 保育士

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I conducted 1) a case study, 2) a literature review, 3) a questionnaire survey in order to create a model for resolving conflicts among childcare workers in childcare support, and obtained the following results.
1) It was found that childcare workers' awareness of childcare support includes both awareness of mothers’ norms and awareness of professional ethics, and that decision-making based on professional ethics are necessary to resolve conflicts.2) Eight ethical responsibilities to children and their guardians were identified. In addition, from an international comparison of codes of ethics, the challenges and prospects for Japan's code of ethics were examined.3) It was clarified that conflicts occur in all conflict patterns to the same extent, that "conflicts over childcare" is the most common conflict, and that the more knowledge one had of professional ethics, the higher one's awareness of professional ethics.

Free Research Field

子ども学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、実態が把握されていなかった子育て支援の葛藤の内実を明らかにした。また、その解決に必要とされる「子どもに対する倫理責任」および「保護者に対する倫理責任」を明らかにした。子育て支援の葛藤が生じた際、これらの倫理責任を活用することにより、子どもと保護者のそれぞれに対して、保育士が何をすべきかを明確化し、対応の方向性を導くことが可能となる。さらに、本研究では、他の専門職や諸外国の保育専門職の倫理綱領との比較を通して、保育士の専門職倫理の課題と展望を明らかにした。これらの成果は、今後の専門職倫理の発展および倫理教育プログラムの開発に寄与することが期待される。